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Premium on success: The victorious NSW squad celebrate with the Origin shield after the final match of the series in Brisbane on Wednesday. Photo: Getty Images

If the past NRL television rights deal was worth $1 billion over five years, the State of Origin series alone is estimated to be worth close to $150 million. The costs associated with Origin football have increased significantly in recent years, but so too has interest from fans and the revenue for Origin's key stakeholders.

PLAYERS

Players receive $30,000 an Origin game from the NRL, up from $10,000 in 2012. A Test match for the Kangaroos boosts their income by $10,000 a game.

Some players also earn money from Origin-related sponsorship, like Paul Gallen and Robbie Farah did through beer brand VB this year. Both Gallen and Farah have long-standing relationships with Carlton & United Breweries as its ambassadors.

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The players do not receive any contractual bonuses for winning an Origin series. Some of the fringe Origin players will have allowances for potential bonuses in their club contracts as incentives if they are selected to play representative football.

The players also receive four tickets to each Origin game for family and friends.

NEW SOUTH WALES RUGBY LEAGUE

The NSWRL decided to spend five nights in all three camps at the Novotel Pacific Bay Resort in Coffs Harbour for the first time this year.

It also had expenses relating to airfares and accommodation in Sydney, Brisbane and Coffs Harbour for players and staff that was in excess of $200,000 for the three games.

It managed to strike up local partnership arrangements in Coffs Harbour that effectively nullified the costs associated with moving its camp up to the state's north coast.

While it has been a successful move in helping bring back the shield south of the border, it is understood further commercial partnerships in regards to high performance for next year will ensure the NSWRL makes money out of its Coffs Harbour camps in 2015.

The NSWRL is responsible for all team-related costs such as the delivery of teams, camps and coaching staff. It does not receive a percentage of the ticketing and hospitality revenue, which goes to the NRL.

However it does receive the total revenue from sponsorship, which is worth close to $3.5 million between VB, GIO and NIB, who are all whole of game sponsors.

Both the NSWRL and Queensland Rugby League submit an annual budget to the Australian Rugby League Commission for a grant to cover their expenses, which increased this year.

While the NSWRL is waiting for the end of its financial year on October 31 to find out the exact figures, merchandising income is expected to have increased substantially as a result of the Blues' success.

"One way to gauge that is the interest in our website and social media pages, which has almost tripled in the last three months to what it previously was," NSWRL chief executive Dave Trodden said.

"If you draw a line through that and make an assumption, that shows there is an increased interest in the NSWRL, which will have an upward impact in all of our key numbers."

TELEVISION

Close to 12 million viewers around the country tune in to watch the State of Origin series, making it the largest sporting event in the country.

State of Origin is the anchor asset of the NRL, and it is understood to have been used as leverage during the television rights deal negotiations.

There was a suggestion the rights to the State of Origin series would be sold as a separate package, however Channel Nine and the NRL agreed to include it as part of the billion-dollar deal (which also included Fox Sports) announced in 2012.

"Because Origin is a seamless part of our season from a broadcast and sponsorship perspective, it's difficult for us to place a specific total value on Origin alone as part of that broadcast deal," NRL head of commercial Paul Kind said.

"From a revenue perspective, our focus is on premium sponsorship for state leagues and the Origin series, licensing revenue through licensed Blues and Maroons products and the event revenue from the three games."

NRL

The NRL collects 100 per cent of ticket revenue from all three Origin matches. Given both ANZ Stadium and Suncorp Stadium have their own members, the NRL roughly sells 60,000 tickets in Sydney and 45,000 tickets in Brisbane.

It is understood the NRL pocketed more than $20 million in ticket revenue alone this series, despite a substantial increase in ticket prices compared with last year.

It also gets 100 per cent of the sponsorship deal with Holden as the State of Origin series naming rights partner.

It recently managed to strike a multimillion-dollar deal, believed to be in excess of $2.5 million a game, with the Victorian government to play matches at the Melbourne Cricket Ground next year and in 2018, in which it also receives 100 per cent of the earnings.

Close to 18,000 people travelled interstate to Melbourne in 2012 to watch an Origin match, which shows why the Victorian government is so keen to get a piece of the pie.

QUEENSLAND RUGBY LEAGUE

This series was the final year of the QRL's present deal with major sponsor AAMI (who has been involved with the QRL for 12 years), but they are in continuing discussions to potentially extend that deal.

It also have deals with XXXX (24 years) and apparel provider Canterbury (20 years) that expire at the end of the television broadcast deal in 2017.

Those deals are also believed to be worth about $3.5 million to the Queensland Rugby League.

While its agreement with the NRL is slightly different to the NSWRL, given it earns a percentage of corporate revenue, it also is forced to release a large portion of its Origin earnings back to the NRL, often seeking grants from the game to finance various programs.

"The majority of revenue goes back into the game," QRL chief executive Robert Moore said.

"We actually submit a budget for a grant from the game. You don't keep what you earn from Origin. It's rationalised and the majority goes back into the pot. We take a small commission from corporates, the rest of the ticket revenue goes to the game.

"Up here it's a joint effort between the QRL and the NRL in promoting the game. From a match perspective, we still have a lot of involvement in match day, we run it all and are heavily involved. There's been a growth from a financial perspective, but the key thing we need to understand is the effect Origin has on junior registration and membership. There's no better event to attract people to the game."

Queensland's costs are slightly higher than NSW in regards to airfares, given they generally have more players flying interstate for camp in the sunshine state.

LAURIE DALEY

With very little coaching experience when he was first appointed as NSW coach last year, the NSWRL took a gamble on the former Blues captain.

The NSWRL extended Daley's original two-year deal after his first campaign, and now that he has helped end Queensland's eight-year dominance, the NSWRL has begun making plans to secure Daley on a long-term deal. It is fair to say it will be a lucrative deal with NRL clubs starting to circle.

11 comments so far

State of origin does bring in the cash clearly, but what about the short-term vs long term goals. The AFL ditched it's state of origin in the 1990's which was quite successful, and now has a higher tv deal than the NRL. By about 250 million, and also 18 teams not 16. Food for thought. The NRL will expand though, and have more teams, but who says the AFL won't!Test footy is still the future, as it appeals to a wider audience, not just 2 states in OZ. And rugby league is getting more money to spend on test footy. And the English super league new tv deal will allow more money to spend on there salary cap, so more players will be able to get developed. And the continued flexible eligibility rules will help test footy. But does the off-set of a mid-season lull in club footy, does SOO provide adequate compensation to the NRL clubs via- more money to give to clubs for larger salary caps etc, and junior footy, I don't know. The AFL survive without a SOO anymore, and now have a bigger tv deal. But how much of the SOO kitty do the NRL clubs actually see, as opposed to going into the coffers of the NRL, I don't know.

Commenter

Disco Joe

Location

Sydney

Date and time

July 11, 2014, 11:03PM

Yes you have many valid points.I believe SOO should be two games with a third decider "if required" thus lessening the adverse effects on clubs(like player burnout,suspensions/injuries etc).SOO is hyped up by Aussie media but it is not the game it once was where the cream of NRL play.The cream of NRL now contain lots of Poms,Kiwis,Island lads who together could field a team at least equal to either(likely better) SOO sides altho few Aussie's seem willing to admit it but just go throw playing rosters of the top clubs and it is obvious.Note in 1994 14 Kiwis played in the NRL now there are 112 plus some excellent Poms so things have changed.Even Phil Gould has mentioned the change in culture of NRL since the early nineties with lots of polynesian lads in the junior teams out Penrith way.Test League will only get more appeal once the Kiwis and Poms can beat Aussie on a regular basis.This day may be closer than lots believe but time will tell.

Commenter

Jacko

Location

Warriorville

Date and time

July 12, 2014, 9:57AM

You're exactly right DJ ...but Channel nine isn't interested in "expanding" the game ...a reliance on SOO for income is actually navel gazing and excludes English , NZ and Islander players unless they pledge allegiance to OZ !!

Commenter

Dr Paul

Date and time

July 12, 2014, 10:47AM

Disco Joe, you have answered some of your own questions. Yes, the AFL got more money than the NRL but, as you point out, it has to be split 19 ways, not 17 like the NRL money. On a per-game basis, the NRL is earning more from TV rights (because NRL games rate much better than AFL does).

As for expansion, it's hard to see the AFL's as successful. The last two teams to enter the NRL competition, not counting Souths, were Melbourne and the Gold Coast, both of whom were competitive from their first season. OTOH, the newest AFL teams are something of a joke, even after a few seasons in the competition. It is still news when either of them win a game, which is kind of hopeless, don't you think?

We used to have a huge League comp, with teams in Perth and Adelaide, and the result was Super League, which almost killed the sport dead. Any expansion needs to be measured and must be viable from the get-go. Perth might be a good start as the Western Reds still field a team in the SG Ball Cup, although the Central Coast also makes good sense.

On State of Origin, while it is such a massive disruption to the regular NRL competition I will not support it in any way. I don't pay a $500 yearly membership to watch a team of reserve grade players for 3 or 4 games a year, nor to see our best players sidelined for months because of injuries sustained in for someone else. It just isn't fair to the clubs or their supporters, who are the people who keep the NRL afloat. It needs to be played after the Grand Final on consecutive Wednesday nights.

Commenter

MotorMouth

Location

Sydney

Date and time

July 12, 2014, 9:40PM

Jacko,

QLD or NSW would beat NZ. QLD or NSW would also likely beat a team of foreign superstars as well. Why? These guys have structures in place and a common cause, State pride etc. I think a new venture could be to play the winner of SOO against an NRL All-Stars side a week before the GF (like the NFL does with their All-Star match) and allow a two week gap between the finals and the GF to allow for this. Any plays involved in the GF would not play of course. Play it in PNG or Perth or Melbourne. I think it would be a success.

Commenter

Nope

Date and time

July 13, 2014, 8:36PM

SOO may be the pinnacle, the showpiece of rugby league. But it takes 16 clubs to make it work ie to generate interest in the sport, train and provide the elite players, etc. So in itself it is not and should not be a separate 'brand', but profits (and interest) it generates should go back into the grass roots. Focus on SOO (and the NRL comp) is killing the game in the heartlands of country NSW and QLD. Give the clubs more of the pie, and also make them responsible for a particular country area, to develop players from school level onwards, and apply hefty transfer fees if another club wants one of the kids you developed. Only by keeping the game healthy at the base can we keep watching the top of the tree.

Commenter

stuk

Date and time

July 12, 2014, 11:18AM

SOO is killing our club football and yet it relies on club football for its existance! The games are generally very exciting, but no more so than a good test game, or a highly contested club game! After being at the 2nd SOO game this year, I was put off by the bogan behaviour of the spectators. I grew up being told to respect an injured player and to clap them off if they have to leave the field. It was disgraceful to see Blatchey's Blues go up as one and cheer because Queenslander Tate was badly injured. Shame on you Blatchey's!!!

Commenter

jj

Location

sydney

Date and time

July 14, 2014, 11:40AM

SOO maybe a great showpiece/money spinner etc but it is certainly not the pinnacle.The pinnacle is winning the World Cup surely altho for me winning the NRL Premiership is right up there as well.

Commenter

Jacko

Location

Warriorville

Date and time

July 14, 2014, 2:37PM

What's clear is the players are getting shafted. The players are taking just 7.5% of the gate let alone how much the TV and advertising etc deals are worth.

Commenter

kiwi_colt

Date and time

July 12, 2014, 2:56PM

The players generally seem to be getting reasonably paid for what they are doing, however the players that are being injured and are suffering health problems after retirement are not being adequately looked after. Regularly we are asked to contribute to an appeal for ...... who was injured while playing.....I do not like this new "morality" of abandoning the aged, injured and disabled that seems to be in vogue lately, whether it be sportsmen and women, or others who are just growing old.